‘Active Listening’ tech on phones sparks privacy concerns
A new report has claimed our smart devices might be listening to us to deliver targeted ads.
Cox Media Group (CMG) recently held a presentation where it touted its ‘Active Listening’ tech and referenced several high-profile “partners”, including Google and Amazon.
While CMG stopped short of explicitly stating that big corporations are using the tech, the candid remarks have again raised concerns about user privacy.
It comes after years of reports that smartphones and smart speakers can provide eerily accurate, personalised advertising and news.
This behaviour has traditionally been attributed to the quality of tracking cookies and tools advertising companies deploy.
But the latest development points to something more sinister.
CMG declined to comment after being contacted by media outlets, and big tech corps are adamant they never listen to people’s conversations.
Meta has previously stated that while its ads can be “specific”, it doesn’t actively listen without consent, saying:
“We only use your microphone if you’ve given us permission and are actively using a feature that requires the microphone.”
Tech news site 404 Media was the first to report on the presentation by CMG, but it doesn’t contain any evidence of the technology being used.
Amazon has denied ever working with CMG, and Google removed the company from its Partner Program after the report’s publication last week.
It is, however, a reminder for users to check their camera and microphone permissions.
On iOS and Android, privacy indicators are displayed at the top of the screen when the camera or microphone is in use, which can be updated on an app-by-app basis in the settings.